Tag: Malaysia

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses occupy the highest rank in the hierarchy of evidence in evidence-based medicine and practice. This understanding is crucial for clinicians and health researchers who wish to practice evidence-based medicine, conduct high quality research, or make use of (interpret) existing studies. However, not many academics and researchers are adequately exposed to systematic reviews, despite their importance and the feasibility to conduct this type of study without the need for huge financial resources.

On 29 June 2022, the Faculty of Medicine of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) organized a talk titled “Systematic Review: What’s New?” as part of its effort to promote high quality research among its staff and students. The event was organized by the Biostatistics Consultancy Service (BCS) team in collaboration with the Department of Public Health Medicine and the office of Deputy Dean (Research & Innovation). The talk aimed to: (i) expose new researchers (beginners) to systematic reviews in order to cultivate interest in, and familiarize them with, this study design; (ii) inform the audience (researchers and academics) of the latest developments about systematic reviews and how to address emerging/new challenges, and (iii) further polish the skills of researchers with experience in systematic reviews.

UiTM was privileged to have Professor Dr. Philip Baker as the speaker, who is a Professor of Epidemiology and currently teaches at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. Dr. Baker completed a BSc from the University of Toronto and a PhD from QUT. His areas of expertise span across evidence-based practice and clinical epidemiology, systematic reviews, knowledge translation in public health decision-making, and public health epidemiological services that include health surveillance of communicable and chronic diseases. Dr. Baker also collaborates with the USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a Member of Cochrane Collaboration, and was nominated as American College of Epidemiology Fellow.

In the opening ceremony officiated by the Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Associate Professor Dr Fazah Akhtar Hanapiah, she highlighted that the talk was an opportunity for international engagement to enhance research and academic collaborations with external academic institutions. More specifically, this would pave the way for more meaningful academic endeavors such as exchange of students and lecturers, cross-country research work and data sharing, and incorporation of diverse and global perspectives.

Approximately 100 participants from various local universities (such as Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Universiti Sains Malaysia), private medical institutions and members of the public participated in the event. It is hoped that the talk has promoted a greater understanding about systematic reviews and inspired more students, academics and researchers to employ this study design in their work.

Prepared by Dr Chen Xin Wee, Department of Public Health Medicine

On 7th June 2022, the Research and Industrial Linkages Division, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology of Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch held a working visit to the Melaka Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary (MBRS), Ayer Keroh, Melaka. This visit was a part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between UiTM and MBRS on 23rd September 2021 which complied with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships of the Goals).

During the visit, a discussion between the two parties was conducted, where UiTM was represented by Dr. Nurrohana binti Ahmad as the ICAN Coordinator, Dr. Noor Izyan Mohamad Adnan as the Coordinator of Innovation and Commercialization, Dr. Shaari bin Daud as the Head of School of Science, Faculty of Applied Science, Puan Roziana binti Bujang as the Director of the MoU Program between UiTM and MBRS, Ts. Fazidah binti Rosli as the Head of School, Faculty of Plantation & Agrotechnology, and Puan Wan Siti Atikah binti Wan Omar as the Science (Hons) Program Coordinator of Bachelor of Biodiversity Management (AS255). Meanwhile, representatives from MBRS were the MBRS Managing Director, Mr. Gerard Wong, the MBRS Manager, Mrs. Qurratu Ain binti Rohaminordin, the MBRS Marketing Executive Officer, Mrs. Juwairiyah binti Hashim, the MBRS Finance and Development Manager, Ms. Elaine Leong, the Head of the Butterfly Laboratory and Insects, Ms. Elysia Yeo Ee Chiew, and the Head of the Lizard Reptiles Division, Ms. Michelle Yee Zi Yen.

The objective of this visit and discussion was to strengthen the cooperative relationship between UiTM and MBRS, thus reflecting what was agreed during the MoU signing. Among the matters discussed during the working visit were the placement of industrial training students from the Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology as well as an academic visit that was expected to be held this year. Also, UiTM was suggested by MBRS to hold a celebration of World Insect Day in June every year to inculcate public awareness on the importance of preserving the diversity of insects. MBRS also announced that a 30% discount on the entrance fee to MBRS will be given to all UiTM students throughout Malaysia where students only needed to show their student cards at the entrance. Overall, the working visit went smoothly, and it is hoped that all plans would be able to be carried out successfully.

UiTM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Universitas Pamulang, Indonesia (UNPAM). UNPAM is a university that was founded in 2000 by Yayasan Prima Jaya, chaired by Drs. Wayan. The goal of its establishment is to create affordable educational facilities for all levels of society without forgetting the quality of education. Therefore, UNPAM always appoints educators and administrative staff who are competent in its field.

UNPAM also constantly conducts development in the field of curriculum that is adapted to the needs of the industry, so that UNPAM graduates can be marketable and well-received in their career life. In addition to supporting lecture activities, UNPAM has provided various facilities such as laboratories and libraries. With the implementation of low-cost education at UNPAM, it is hoped that all levels of society in Indonesia can enjoy a college education.

The MoU agreement that has been initiated by Ts. Dr. Duratul Ain Tholibon, senior lecturer from the Centre for Civil Engineering Studies, UiTM Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus has met the performance indicator of PI No. 90 i.e. new MoUs with international universities related to academic or research activities. This MoU agreement was signed on a desk-to-desk basis, which was represented by YBhg. Prof. Ts. Dr Mohd Ilham Bin Adenan, Rector of UiTM Pahang Branch, and witnessed by Associate Professor Dr. Nazirah Ramli, Deputy Rector of Academic Affairs, UiTM Pahang Branch while UNPAM was represented by Dr. E. Nurzaman, Rector of Universitas Pamulang, Indonesia and witnesses by Dr. Rr. Dewi Anggraeni, Vice Rector, Universitas Pamulang.

This MoU agreement will be forged for three years to increase collaboration between UiTM and UNPAM. It is hoped that this MoU will strengthen, promote, and expand international collaboration in the fields of academia, culture, and research. This MoU signing initiative is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) No.17, which focuses on partnerships for the goals. It is hoped that these efforts will highlight UiTM Pahang Branch Campus’ global visibility.

Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) Japan, together with School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia, have been awarded the Sakura Science Exchange Program in 2019 in Science and Technology. The grant is funded under the Japan Science and Technology (JST) Agency, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Japan. 10 students from UiTM Malaysia were scheduled to attend the program in Japan in March 2020, but it has been postponed and subsequently cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently replaced with a hybrid online training program, International Training – Introduction to Embedded Programming (EIP). The program is a collaboration between four countries namely Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

The program was conducted from February 28 to March 5, 2022, supported by Innovation Lab UiTM. The aim of the program is to exchange ideas in the field of science and technology in addition to 1) Strengthen good relations between Japan and other countries and regions, 2) Encourage the globalization of Japanese educational and research institutes and 3) Support the development of talented students abroad who have the potential to contribute to innovation in science and technology; and support the continued interaction between Japan and other countries and regions.

The EIP was participated by 86 students in total from SIT Japan, UiTM Malaysia, I-Shou University (ISU) Taiwan, and Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Indonesia.

The 6-days online short course programme is carried out via Zoom and the main goal is to develop students’ interest in learning embedded programming and encourage the creativity in designing a control system. The programme is divided into 14 sessions and hosted by excellence professors from SIT Japan. Introduction session is managed by Prof. Takumi Misyoshi and Prof. Manabu Ichikawa. During this session, students are elucidated to Basics of C language language such as variables, branch, loops and functions.

On the third day, the programme becoming more interesting since the students are introduced to Arduino and Autodesk Tinkercad, demonstrated by the instructor, Prof. Akihiko Hanafusa. Students are required to learn input and output of electric circuit by using Arduino microcontroller board. After that, all students are divided into 15 small groups and students need to discuss and develop a simple project using provided Arduino kit. The group is diversified between students from SIT, UiTM, ISU and ITS to encourage students’ communication with participants from other country. Each project is presented online through Zoom platform and were given marks with voting score from all students and facilitators. As a result, group B obtained the highest mark and announced as a winner with a project title, Smart Curtain Opener.

In overall, International Training – Introduction to Embedded Programming (EIP) programme helps the students to get better exposure into embedded programming system and its applications. It is a good significant starting point to promote students’ interest to embedded programming and mechatronic. Therefore, a similar programme should be continued in the future for more students to gain benefits from this collaboration. It is also encouraging exploration and strengthen educational activities between researchers and further establish cooperation between Japan and Malaysia.

Although the prime role of lecturers is to teach, educate and cultivate the potential in their students, in certain situations, they are also expected to help students with mental health issues. The student population can be facing mental issues because they are stressed out by a number of factors which include intense studying, continuous assessments and being away from the comfort of family.

To improve the prevention and intervention in instances involving mental health issues, the role of lecturers is indispensable. To what extent will lecturers react to these issues? Are they equipped with the knowledge to deal with mental health issues among their students and do they know how and where to get help for the students?

In view of these issues, the Faculty of Law of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTMLaw) in collaboration with UiTM Health Centre and UiTM Career and Counselling Centre organised a webinar on 20 May 2022 with the principal objective of creating awareness among the lecturers on their subsidiary role to deal with mental health issues among students.

It is submitted that in the absence of appropriate knowledge, the effort to assist the student may lead to a fruitless outcome. The keynote speaker was Dr Zaiton Nasir, the Director of UiTM Health Centre. The panellists comprise Dr Norhazlina Hashim, Medical Officer, UiTM Health Centre, Ms Wan Nurhashima Wan Sahid, Psychology Officer, UiTM Career and Counselling Centre and Dr Nor Jannah Nasution Raduan, Psychiatrist, UiTM Hospital. The webinar was moderated by Dr Diyana Sulaiman, UiTMLaw Lecturer.

The keynote speaker explained the common types of mental health conditions suffered by students namely depression, anxiety, panic attack, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress and sleep disorders. She also added that UiTM has established an integrated approach to ensure an effective mechanism to address this issue involving relevant stakeholders including UiTM Health Centre, UiTM Career and Career Centre, Islamic Affairs Division and Psychiatry Department. Additionally, UiTM has set up Healthy Mind Clinic under Health Centre in 2019 with the objective of providing easy access to treatment, reducing stigma and increasing life quality.

According to her, a comprehensive Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) has been developed highlighting proper process flow to be observed when facing mental health issues among students. The said SOP emphasises compliance with ethical requirements to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the party involved. The first panellist talked about some tips for the educators in creating trusting relationships that centres upon care for the students and guided by a sense of belonging. It is important for the lecturers to equip themselves with the right knowledge regarding mental health issues. As best as possible, lecturers are encouraged in improving their communication skills that is essential in developing trust among students and conduct their actions without being judgemental. The lecturers are anticipated to have knowledge about the existing facilities which can be reached to help the students such as counselling services whether internally or externally and try to reduce the barriers to getting access to existing mental health facilities.

The second panellist provided her insight from the counsellors’ perspective. According to her, currently, the number of UiTM certified counsellors nationwide is 74. In helping the students, the lecturers may opt either to offer personal advice or guidance. Alternatively, if they are not able to do so, they may advise the students to get professional help through registration via the Counselling2U platform or directly call the respective counsellor in charge of the faculty. One of the important points highlighted by the last panellist is that the lecturers themselves must take care of their mental health before they can effectively offer a helping hand to the students.

It is hoped that this webinar will shed some light on the important role of the lecturers to detect the early signs of mental health among students and guide them on the right way in handling their situations.

In March 2020, to curb the spread of the Covid-19 infection in Malaysia, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, had imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) which led to the closure of all pre-schools, public and private schools, as well as university institutions nationwide. Online and distance learning (ODL) replaced physical classes in the education system until 2021, and both students and educators were required to remain at home while classes were conducted virtually. Despite the drawbacks of ODL implementation, however, the challenge has successfully led to other achievements.

Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Utiliti Negeri (JPUN) Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Pahang (UCPh) initiated an energy conservation management project during this period. While the students and staff were away from campus, the campus buildings and colleges were not fully operational. This was a great opportunity for PPII to analyze opportunities to enhance the campus’s energy conservation. By referring to the Dasar dan Garis Panduan Pengurusan Tenaga (the Energy Management Guide and Policy document) UCPh, JPUN had successfully accomplished the aim to improve the efficiency and conservation of energy, water, and fuel. UCPh also managed to comply with the Efficient Management of Electrical Energy Regulations 2008 and Akta Bekalan Elektrik 1990.

In January, February and March 2020, when students and staff were still in campus, UCPh had spent RM278,922.03 (639,773.00 kWH), RM224,603.80 (488,079.00 kWH) and RM267,151.41 (583,044.00 kWH) respectively on electric consumption. However, beginning April 2020 when the first MCO was enforced, the bills reduced significantly until December 2020. UCPh had spent RM115,308.45 (289,764.00 kWH) in April 2020, RM120,658.61 (282,219.00 kWH) in May 2020, RM138,714.50 (317,305.00 kWH) in June 2020, RM151,885.91 (373,053.00 kWH) in July 2020, RM159,347.17 (377,390.00 kWH) in August 2020, 174,661.65 (418,066.00 kWH) in September 2020, RM183,710.97 (441,604.00 kWH) in October 2020, RM176,281.93 (418,598.00 kWH) in November 2020, and RM168304.70 (403330.00 kWH) in December 2020. UCPh had effectively reduced energy consumption by 44.49% and saved RM1,730,880.12 in electricity bills in 2020. This was acknowledged as a major achievement of the efforts made by UCPh, Pejabat Pembangunan Infrastruktur dan Infostruktur (PPII) (the Office of Infrastructure Management and Infostructure), and the UCPh staff.

JPUN is now actively raising the awareness of energy consumption among the UCPh staff. Behavior adjustments are recognized to have the highest potential to drive utility savings and is very simple to perform. For instance, turning off lights or appliances when they are not needed, and minimizing the use of air conditioning at the office, can contribute not only to energy conservation, but help save the Earth. With the cooperation from PPII, traditional incandescent light bulbs are replaced with light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs), which utilize from 25 to 80 percent less electricity and last 3 to 25 times longer than traditional bulbs. Even tough LEDs are more expensive, its higher efficiency and longer lifetime cost less in the long run. Although there are many other methods to conserve energy, from simple behavioral adjustments to extensive office improvements, these two actions to conserve energy in UCPh had successfully lowered the cost of utility bills and, at the same time, help protect the environment.

This initiative reflects UCPh’s initiative to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 and ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. To expand on energy access, it is crucial to enhance energy efficiency and invest in renewable energy. From 2021 until now, UCPh has begun to replace the main building’s energy consumption from traditional electricity to solar energy. This project also aligns with SDG 11 with the aim to renew and plan UCPh and other quarters in a way that offers opportunities for all with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and green public spaces, while reducing resource use and environmental impact.

The Faculty of Business and Management (FBM), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor (UCS) Kampus Puncak Alam (KPA), coordinated the International Sustainability Invention, Innovation and Design Showcase (ISIIDS) 2022 with collaboration from Creative Media & Technology Hub UiTM (CMT) UiTM, International University College (PICOMS), Nilai Polytechnic and Faculty of Business, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, Indonesia. It was established in response to the call of the global vision which encourages transformation in the world of research and innovation.

With the theme “Pathways to Sustainability Innovation”, it provides opportunities and space for inventors and industries to showcase their creative innovations as well as to highlight the use and application of inventions in a sustainable environment. Targeted at researchers from institutions of higher learning and industry, as well as potential researchers, namely secondary and primary school students, from both the public and private sectors, it had attracted 169 participations, including international participants from Thailand and Indonesia. To assist and encourage the culture of innovation and invention among the participants, several activities such as innovation and invention competitions through video presentations and webinars from the industry experts were organized.

Prior to the ISIIDS 2022 Awarding Ceremony, a one-day coaching and mentoring workshop titled ‘The Coaching and Mentoring Workshop: from Ideation to Commercialization’ was held on the 9th of February 2022 to guide and advise participants in preparing their innovation and invention products for the competition. Several prominent speakers from the industries, academicians, and university students with vast experience and had won numerous awards internationally, were invited to share their experiences with the participants during the workshop.

The inauguration and award ceremony of ISIIDS was virtually held on 22nd March 2022 and officiated by Professor Ts. Dr. Asmah Awal, Deputy Rector (Research & Innovation), Universiti Cawangan Selangor (UCS), and attended by the program advisor Professor Dr. Noryati Ahmad (Dean of the Faculty Business and Management), program collaborators and the participants. The ISIIDS 2022 Awarding Ceremony reached more than 1000 views and it can be viewed via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srgaf4-Hhzw. It offered Gold, Silver, Bronze, best poster, video, and extended abstract awards to be won by professionals, university students, and school students. In addition, specials awards, namely ‘Al-Khawarizmi,’ were also given to each category.

May the success of ISIIDS 2022 inspire other faculties and UiTM campuses to create similar or other fruitful events in the near future focusing on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (17 SDG Goals).